Page 8 of Just Now

Already, Cami was priming herself in her mind, making a mental checklist of the programs she might need to access the phones. She followed Connor through the labyrinth of corridors, to the back office that adjoined the locked steel door of the evidence room.

They went inside the tiny office, which barely had space for a desk and two chairs. But at least it was warm and cozy and it had a couple of plug points.

As she waited, Cami heard the regular clanging of the steel door and the beeping of a keypad as authorized people accessed the evidence room in this busy police station.

“Here are the phones and the laptop.” The officer brought them in, and Cami set them up, getting them on chargers and taking a look at both phones. One Android, one iPhone. One old, one brand new. One had certain security features she knew her program could bypass in an hour, and the other had a manufacturing flaw that her online hacking group had found out about. The laptop was a MacBook Pro.

“I can get into both phones, hopefully, as well as the laptop. Maybe in an hour,” she said, setting up her program to run, plugging the devices in so that they each connected with one of hers.

While the program ran, Cami got onto social media to learn more about Kate Minnett and Gracie Foster. She wanted to get an idea of the personalities, interactions, issues, and connections that they displayed to the world—or at least, to their friends.

And while she was doing that, she listened to Connor’s voice as he took a call with the coroner.

“Strangulation the cause of death in both cases?” he asked, jotting notes on an old-fashioned paper notepad that she knew was how he preferred to work. “And any DNA?”

He waited and jotted some more, muttering the details to himself. “Both moved after death. How long after? A couple of hours. Okay. And signs of a struggle?”

The pen scribbled inexorably over the paper. “In both cases, yes. Defensive wounds. And torn nails, bruises.” He paused. “Reckon they were locked away somewhere?” He paused and listened again.

It was horrific to have to imagine what these victims had endured, but Cami was only hearing it with part of her mind. The rest was taking note of the women’s social interactions, which she was researching while waiting for her hacking program to run. Neither of them had a very public or visible online profile, and Kate’s profile seemed to be purely focused on business. Neither one lived their life on social media, with every action publicly announced. Both were fairly private. Neither could have been stalked based on their online interactions.

That ruled out a few of the most obvious conclusions, straight up. So, what else could she find?

At that moment, Cami’s computer beeped.

She’d gotten into Kate’s phone faster than she’d thought. That manufacturer’s flaw that her hacking group had detected was easy to bypass. That meant she could get into the laptop more easily, too. Another few moments, and she had access to that.

“I’m in Kate’s devices,” she said. And then the other phone beeped, too. “I’m in both.”

Now totally focused on her job, and shutting out Connor’s conversation completely, Cami began hunting, seeking out the contacts and the messages, setting new searches to run, looking for any connections that these two women might have had in common. That was the first and most important lead, a person in common. A friend, an ex-boyfriend, a work colleague, an insurance salesman—she’d learned that a killer could hide in any guise.

She scanned the list with narrowed eyes, looking carefully, double-checking herself as her programs sped along in the background. There were many more contacts in Kate’s phone. She had a massive network of work colleagues, but also a large number of private friends. Gracie had far fewer.

Almost immediately, Cami ruled out the laptop. It had been used purely for work. It was a few months old and there wasn’t a single social message or email on it. This was simply for recording progress on cases and networking with colleagues about work-related issues. Cami got the impression that Kate was a very disciplined woman. If there was another side to her personality or her interactions, it would have to be found on the phone.

A quick look at the phones showed her what she was sure the police had already checked. No trouble, no fights, no angry messages, no breakups. No obvious signs that the women were in trouble with anyone, or that anything was amiss in their lives. Kate had sent work texts earlier in the day. Gracie had made vague plans to meet up with a group of friends she seemed to see monthly.

Anyone in common? She’d set the search, although she didn’t feel hopeful about the results. But as her phone beeped yet again, Cami felt her heart speed up.

She’d gotten the unexpected. A mutual contact.

“They do have someone in common,” she said to Connor, surprised. “And if you give me a minute, I’ll tell you who they are.”

CHAPTER FOUR

The name Maxwell Reed had come up immediately in the contacts of both women, and the same phone number had pinged Cami’s programs and drawn her gaze simultaneously. Two seemingly unrelated women both knew this man well enough for him to be in their phone contacts? Cami thought that was a massive clue.

Trawling further into the records, she saw that they’d both connected with him recently.

“Who is he?” Connor asked her eagerly.

“His name is Maxwell Reed,” she told Connor. “He’s had phone calls with Kate Minnett and Gracie Foster recently.”

“And what does Mr. Reed do?” Connor inquired.

“According to his listing here, he’s a professional counselor,” she said. “He specializes in health and wellness coaching.”

“So you think he would have seen both women? Clients, maybe?”

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